Queens Gate, London: 2/7-2/16

On Friday we got Indian food at Khan's. I have had curry before, but this time tried a different type of curry. It had cinnamon in it, and tasted a lot like butternut squash soup. After dinner the waiter brought us rolled up warm towels. Here at the restaurants they will not bring you the check, unless you ask for it! It is actually very polite of them. They would allow you to sit and stay forever. Even when the restaurants are crowded and closing they just let you sit and chat. It is nice to go out and get dinner, we usually stay forever talking. Especially at night. Night life here is mainly bars and clubs, besides the shows of course. So this makes our days really busy. We have so much to do and most of the things on our "to-do" list are day activities and sites.

(Me, Jillian, & Hali)

Saturday we went to go see changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. It was rainy and crowded. People from all over lining up to see. It was a neat experience. They brought in the guards, and then switched over. To be honest I need to go back because I couldn't see much. The taller people in the crowd hold up their i-phones for pictures and I just look at their phone to try to see what is going on. I was able to get a few pictures.

(Paige, Christine, Audrey, Madeline, Andrew, Hannah, Jillian, Hali, & Abbie)

After the changing of the guards we went to a glass blowing exhibit. It made me feel extremely cultured spending some time in a glass exhibit. I ended up really enjoying looking at the different pieces of art. The colors of the glass are stunning! It was work by Dale Chihuly.

Sunday we had church. I love going to church here and look forward to attending. There were only two boys in my class. We talked a lot about Valentine's Day and they were teasing one another about who they like. One told the other that, "his girlfriend is so ugly it makes his glasses shatter." It sounds rude, but that is their sense of humor. There is so much to laugh at when going to church here. The children can be so rowdy, but I just think it is cute. I just hope they at least get one thing out of my lesson. If the only thing they take away is "church was fun, Jesus loves me" I feel I did something. It is the type of primary where you can't expect them to listen to everything. Typically half the class is up out of their seats, touching, and poking each other. Some of the children run out of the doors playing tag in the middle of a lesson. It is different than primary in Utah. They have ages 4-11 in one room, and sometimes there are 4 children sometimes 25. They shock me though when they answer questions. They know so much more than I think, and it is touching to hear their testimonies. Sometimes I wonder how they listened because most the time they are preoccupied doing their own thing. I guess they are just good at double tasking. I snapped a picture really quickly so people can understand what it is like. This picture doesn't even do it justice.

Monday for lunch I went to Muriel's Kitchen. It is a cute bakery/sit-down place. Everything from the menu, to the plates, to the dessert forks was adorable. (This is the all about food pictures).

Shepherd's Pie

The back of the menu's were cute
(Jenna, Me, & Tiffany)

That night we all attended Shakespeare's, A Midsummer's Night Dream, at the Barbican Theater. We have spent the last week studying it so we were excited to go see it. In the play someone's head turns into an "ass". Well I always read this play thinking about a donkey head on a person. I think most people read it that way. I don't know if I will ever be able to read it again and think about a donkey. I sure hope I will be able to. I guess not everyone reads the play and thinks about a donkey. I think we all cringed a little bit when the donkey head didn't appear, but a big man's bottom appeared on stage. It sure was an experience. We all sunk down in our seats as we watched the play unfold with a bare bottom on stage.

(Me & Kelsie)

On Tuesday after class we went to--Warner Brother's Studio Tour-The Making of Harry Potter. We had to take a train and then got on a Harry Potter shuttle service that took us to the studio. I was worried because I do not know everything about Harry Potter, and to be honest can't even remember what books I have or haven't read. I didn't admit that to anyone I went with until we got there. I still had a blast seeing everything and thought it was neat to see how much work went into those movies. More work than I imagined. I was able to recognize many different scenes and props, even though my knowledge of Harry Potter isn't at the level it should be.

Just thought I would put this in for fun...Will and Kate

(Me & Hannah)

(Jillian, Me, Andrew, Hali, & Hannah)

(Jillian, Me, Andrew, Hali & Hannah)

Harry's closet

The Great Hall

Dressing table

(Hannah & Me)

(Me, Andrew, & Hali)

They had a wand for every person who helped create Harry Potter. The actors, the stylists, the screenwriters, etc.

Butterbeer in front of Harry's house

On Wednesday we went to the National Portrait Gallery. It was the coolest experience because I was able to recognize the names of many of the people in the portraits. I could recognize them because we are learning about all of these historical people in our classes at school. We also are reading so much english literature, so the people in the portraits sounded familiar. So now I will not complain when we have to read another literature piece, I will just remember how it felt to actually know the people in the portraits. I have always wanted to be the one who can recognize names and know the history behind people and places. The rooms went in order by time period so I was able to learn a lot from reading the descriptions of the portraits.

(Abbie, Me, Jillian, Hannah, & Linsey)

After the Portrait Gallery we went to a pub. It was pouring rain! It rains so much here. It will rain and then be sunny. We have just learned to always bring an umbrella with us whenever we go anywhere! At the pub we all got bangers and mash. It was my first time having it. It was yummy!

(Hannah, Linsey, Hali, Abbie, Me, & Jillian)

Thursday we went to Abbey Road...They have people in yellow vests that stop traffic and take your picture as you cross the road.

(Me, Hannah, Hali, & Jillian: Notice Hannah's bare feet)

Valentine's Day we went to Westminster Abbey and Tate Museum. It was fun to be at Westminster and learn about Kate and William's wedding. Over 3,000 people are buried in the abbey, and there are over 600 monuments and memorials in the abbey. The abbey has a poets corner, and a grave for the unknown soldier. His body was brought from France to be buried at the abbey on 11 November 1920. The grave contains soil from France, marble from Belgium. It says:

BENEATH THIS STONE RESTS THE BODY

OF A BRITISH WARRIOR

UNKNOWN BY NAME OR RANK

BROUGHT FROM FRANCE TO LIE AMONG

THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS OF THE LAND

AND BURIED HERE ON ARMISTICE DAY

11 NOV: 1920, IN THE PRESENCE OF

HIS MAJESTY KING GEORGE V

HIS MINISTERS OF STATE

THE CHIEFS OF HIS FORCES

AND A VAST CONCOURSE OF THE NATION

THUS ARE COMMEMORATED THE MANY

MULTITUDES WHO DURING THE GREAT

WAR OF 1914-1918 GAVE THE MOST THAT

MAN CAN GIVE LIFE ITSELF

FOR GOD

FOR KING AND COUNTRY

FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE

FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND

THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD

THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS BECAUSE HE

HAD DONE GOOD TOWARD GOD AND TOWARD

HIS HOUSE

All royal brides married in the Abbey set their bouquets on the grave. It is there to remember all those who served in the Great War. Many of the bodies never were able to be buried properly.

(Me, Hali, Jillian & Hannah)

(Me, Abbie, & Lindsey)

Then we did our walk and passed Big Ben, and ended at the Tate Museum.

Big Ben

Tate Museum

After we did our walk we went home and watched the Bachelor wedding. Yes, sad that we are watching that as our romance. It entertained us all. Then some of us girl's went to Harrods Food Hall and got different desserts to all split. We ordered pizza and watched Notting Hill.

On Saturday we went to Blenheim Palace & Oxford University. Blenheim Palace is home to the 11th Duke and Duchess of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. It is 18th century Baroque architect. We got to tour the palace, and walk by the current residential area where the Duke and Duchess live currently. The gardens in the back were beautiful. There were multiple walking paths as well (picture with the sheep was on one of the walking paths).

They still use this room once a year...Christmas Eve dinner is held here.

So one of the Duchess's of the Palace had this portrait made of her daughter to show men her daughter.

One of the tapestries. The dog has hooves on accident! They never really weaved dogs in tapestries, so they think that they didn't realize when weaving it was supposed to be a dog! They were so used to weaving horse hooves.

The library

In the chapel at Blenheim

They had cute case of miniature toy figures.

(Jillian, Hali, Hannah & Me)

Winston Churchill's Baby Vest

Where Winston Churchill was born.

Oxford University was so spectacular. Some scenes from Harry Potter were filmed there. It is the oldest University in England. The students are housed in "colleges". Emma Watson attended Oxford last year. We had a tour of the University, and then got to explore around after. Our exploring mainly included everyone rushing to get a University sweatshirt from Oxford.